Many employers not ready for legal weed, Congress told

Many Canadian workplaces aren’t nearly ready for the fastapproaching legalization of marijuana, the World Cannabis Congress has been told.

Jason Fleming, vice-president of human resources for Ontario marijuana producer MedReleaf, said there’s still a lack of definitive testing, and many employers have not educated staff on new policies.

“Employers are having to write policies and have to prepare, but in many cases they are still using really outdated, anecdotal information,” he said Monday in Saint John, N.B. “Step one is to definitely get prepared, get educated and understand the differences between these products, and recreational versus medical products, and I think that absence of information can be difficult for a lot of employers,” he said.

Urine and saliva tests can detect THC — the active ingredient in marijuana — but that doesn’t indicate active impairment, and it can take between 24 and 48 hours for THC to clear the system.

A worker can test positive if they’ve been exposed to secondhand smoke in a poorly ventilated room, according to a recent study at the University of Calgary.

Wayne Thibodeau, regional managing editor, is pleased to announce the appointment of Stuart Neatby as political journalist at The Guardian.

A native of South Granville, Prince Edward Island, Stu has spent the last 18 years living elsewhere in Canada, most recently in Vancouver and Prince George, B.C. Stu was a freelance writer while living in the Maritimes, writing for publications such...